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Topic : 12/17 Huge Holiday Headaches

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Created on : Thursday, December 11, 2008, 02:53:45 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Do you have someone in your life who makes the holidays more of a headache than a festive, joyful time? Jennifer says her mother, Judy, otherwise known as Grandma Claus, goes way overboard when it comes to Christmas. She says her mother decorates every square inch of her house with her estimated 1,200 snowmen, 1,000 Santas and angels, and tens of thousands of lights! Judy’s Christmas spirit takes up so much space, she can’t even eat at her dining room table. Jennifer says her mother gives so many gifts to her three daughters, that it takes them an overwhelming two hours to open them all -- and at least 75 percent of the gifts end up in the trash or donated to charity. Don’t miss what makes Grandma Claus’ gifts so … special. Then, Dr. Phil’s next guest, also named Judy, is a self-proclaimed Scrooge who hates Christmas and refuses to celebrate it at all. She says the holiday is nothing but greediness and commercialism. Can Dr. Phil break through her "bah humbug"? Plus, don't miss some exclusive backstage moments from Dr. Phil and Robin’s fifth annual Christmas in Washington concert, which airs December 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on TNT. Join the discussion.

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12/17 Huge Holiday Headaches

I'm not even sure I'll be putting up our pre-lit Christmas tree this year. A half-grown cat took up with us two months ago and I'm afraid he'll climb the tree and tangle the garland. Squirrel is an extremely playful kitty.

I have a bigger reason not to put up a tree

I'm not even sure I'll be putting up our pre-lit Christmas tree this year. A half-grown cat took up with us two months ago and I'm afraid he'll climb the tree and tangle the garland. Squirrel is an extremely playful kitty.

You think YOUR cat will come at your Christmas tree?A few years before I moved here to Winnipeg, Manitoba, my father and I took in two cats that used to belong to a friend of his.Mind you, one of them is orange with white spots, and orange cats are known to fight.Peaches (the orange cat) and Cream (his fur is a little on the beige side) love to run around and chase each other and fight to the death – literally; I think one just might kill the other.They even attack each other when standing on end tables and the sofa and loveseat in the living room, put one of the lamps at risk… LOL!

Anyway, before Dad and I took in the cats, we used to put up a Christmas tree every year.Now, with the cats, I’m afraid one or both of them will knock it over when they whiz past it or fight near it.We put up the tree once with them around, but I felt that we had to watch over it everyday so that nothing happened.Since then, we felt it was too risky with them around.

Scary and sad Christmas - wish all would go away

The holidays really ended for me when I was 19 years old. That is the year my father died at Christmas. Now I am 41 years old and I wish we could take October through December off the map. Guess with my mom dying this year it is just too much. What is really sad - I am scared to death of everything and even more scared to let go of things - including the tree that has been in the family since before I was born or the trimmings for it. Which makes no sense - I have no one to leave anything to in life. I think this is one of the reasons it became easy to cancel Cable television - so I could stop seeing the Christmas stuff on the telly and all those silly happy people that you really wish would chock on Christmas goose or turkey.

Oh well - I hope cats in trees is the most people have to worry about at this time of year.

Hollidaze

If that grandmom Judy can afford to do up such a great Christmas, God love her, let her be!!! I used to enjoy decorating my whole house, too, and wish I had the energy to do it now. Count your blessings you have a loving mom/grandma to share the holidays with.

12/17 Huge Holiday Headaches

The holidays really ended for me when I was 19 years old. That is the year my father died at Christmas. Now I am 41 years old and I wish we could take October through December off the map. Guess with my mom dying this year it is just too much. What is really sad - I am scared to death of everything and even more scared to let go of things - including the tree that has been in the family since before I was born or the trimmings for it. Which makes no sense - I have no one to leave anything to in life. I think this is one of the reasons it became easy to cancel Cable television - so I could stop seeing the Christmas stuff on the telly and all those silly happy people that you really wish would chock on Christmas goose or turkey.

Oh well - I hope cats in trees is the most people have to worry about at this time of year.

Val

I am sorry that your holidays are so sad and painful. I am sure there is a lot of people who also feel that way with losing loved ones during the hospital. I hope that you will join a grief group and get some counciling to help you through your sadness and losses. May God help you through the years to come.

looking forward to this show

I am a lot like grandma Judy it seems. I may not decorate every room but I do spoil my little granddaughter with lots of gifts. Papa is more like the other Judy. He doesn't like Christmas since his birthday is the day after and it is always over shadowing his birthday. He is better now with the grand baby (she is 2) and getting more excited about it all. He even helped decorate the tree this year, first time in around 20 years. In any case I do wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you all stay safe and healthy.

what really matters

what a holiday! The whole thing started last January when my son was in an accident... some huge panel van ran a stop sign and took off the front of their van.. serious injuries, waiting for the ambulance to arrive was scary... everyone survived and improving. Two weeks later in Feb. I was stopped at a stop light and rear ended by a huge SUV, had my head turned and ended up with some neck injuries... but survived. My son had an injury (second son ) from work that caused him to land in the hospital and have his hip replaced, way too young, later we had to take him to the ER where he was diagnosed with pneumonia, the next morning an ambulance and fire truck arrived to take him back... the ER doc read the tests wrong, he had a blood clot in his lung... scary, but he survived. I lost my job due to too much time gone, husband laid off and working temp for very little. We got coupons for the new digital TV but before we used them we had a huge flood (Iowa) and lost them.. government refuses to reissue and with all the other losses there is no way we'll have TV next year... but we can all read and we are all alive still. Started school to finish BA, a construction truck drove by and something went in my eye, finally started to get better end of September. A first year made a mistake and I ended up with my hand cut tip to bottom to the bone, no more medical so i drove 89miles home holding my one hand up and trying to keep pressure, got it patched up (sort of), October. Lost my mother, week after turkey day, badly shaken, two weeks later my son came with his three children, the hip has caused more complications. He had pain and landed in ER, again, at first they said stroke, then near heart attack... very scary. He survived. almost too much, starting to feel broken, unable to focus. We have a very very small house, spent the last few weeks making another bedroom in the basement, we have two sleeping in the living room, busy... but all OK, mostly OK. I wrote to the show when I read something about why some folks are not going to celebrate Christmas... then thought it a bad idea. We were only 15 short on the rent this month, catching up is hard with so many people to feed here, trying to get warm winter stuff... and boots soon to. I broke down and went to the salvation army to apply for the toys for tots, we have five here counting our two still home in school and the three added. They said no, they take applications every year before thanksgiving and everyone knows it. Well, I didn't so not everyone does. They said I could stop on the 10th for a last chance to apply, we had a huge ice storm and I couldn't get home, or over to apply. I went as soon as I could and they were angry... it's too late. they said they usually have a lot of toys left over so maybe we can stop in a day after they help everyone who qualifies. Wow, I (we) don't qualify for Christmas!? I was really angry with myself for having gone there at all, it was embarrassing.. we usually donate and I never thought we'd be there to ask for help, I should not have done that. Well the words and treatment there finally I cracked, cried for awhile and then headed home. The next morning I was trying to head for class and work, no pay just intern, and got stopped because of an accident... it was freezing, there were emergency folks trying to cut someone out of their car.. I just sat there for awhile... had to go home, listened to the news and learned that 3 people had died on the roads during the ice storm, and even more injured, saw a man who lost his whole family from an accident. I have a lot to be grateful for, we are healthy and doing OK. I am grateful we still have a home to gather in. We pray a lot, and do our best to stay positive, and we ask all the children every day 'what did you do today that was fun? Did you learn something?'. After all what really matters is is family, friends, and being able to gather together. The children, our future.

Toy Headache

Here's a HEADACHE that I didn't think I would have to put up with! In a country where religion is a freedom which is a WONDERFUL freedom of this country...I'm very frustrated at FISHER PRICE! In the past years where kids don't have "CHRISTMAS" programs anymore..they're so called "HOLIDAY" programs and the list will go on right down to taking "In God We TRust" off our money. I find it HORRIBLE to listen to a Little Mommy cuddle and coo doll my 2 yr old son had cuddled with our whole shopping trip through target! I had made a mental note to go back and get it for him for Christmas later on in the week. I go home to find an email 2 days later about this doll and how it says in it's 3rd phrase..."Islam is the light"! WHAT! It coos and says Mama the first few times and after that...Islam is the light....but it is in a monotone voice and if you weren't listening for it you probably wouldn't catch it right off. I didn't really think this was a real email...most aren't. And I will have to say ultimatly you as a parent teach your kids what they should know for life including religion. I was back at Target last night w/o the kids and decided to look up this doll again...my son LOVED it. I listened and sure enough it said it! I was beside myself. No advertisement of this on the box...another one of those dolls with hidden messages. SHAME ON FISHER PRICE! Why do I even have to question a toy from a well known company that has made such wonderful toys in the past! I am angry that in our hope to make EVERYONE happy and not step on anyone's toes or offend anyone in anyway...we as Christians have to say "holiday" for a lot more lately and yet in this toy they're putting "Islam is the light!" Don't get me wrong...if that is your religion...good for you it's your freedom....but who's there to say that it's offending me as a Christian! I don't know if I'm more dissipointed in FISHER PRICE or the Christian American Public for not making a bigger deal out of this. My son WON'T be getting this for "CHRISTMAS"! People lose sight of the fact that CHRIST is the reason for the season...it's what CHRISTmas is all about.. or suppose to be!

Fisher Price doll

Here's a HEADACHE that I didn't think I would have to put up with! In a country where religion is a freedom which is a WONDERFUL freedom of this country...I'm very frustrated at FISHER PRICE! In the past years where kids don't have "CHRISTMAS" programs anymore..they're so called "HOLIDAY" programs and the list will go on right down to taking "In God We TRust" off our money. I find it HORRIBLE to listen to a Little Mommy cuddle and coo doll my 2 yr old son had cuddled with our whole shopping trip through target! I had made a mental note to go back and get it for him for Christmas later on in the week. I go home to find an email 2 days later about this doll and how it says in it's 3rd phrase..."Islam is the light"! WHAT! It coos and says Mama the first few times and after that...Islam is the light....but it is in a monotone voice and if you weren't listening for it you probably wouldn't catch it right off. I didn't really think this was a real email...most aren't. And I will have to say ultimatly you as a parent teach your kids what they should know for life including religion. I was back at Target last night w/o the kids and decided to look up this doll again...my son LOVED it. I listened and sure enough it said it! I was beside myself. No advertisement of this on the box...another one of those dolls with hidden messages. SHAME ON FISHER PRICE! Why do I even have to question a toy from a well known company that has made such wonderful toys in the past! I am angry that in our hope to make EVERYONE happy and not step on anyone's toes or offend anyone in anyway...we as Christians have to say "holiday" for a lot more lately and yet in this toy they're putting "Islam is the light!" Don't get me wrong...if that is your religion...good for you it's your freedom....but who's there to say that it's offending me as a Christian! I don't know if I'm more dissipointed in FISHER PRICE or the Christian American Public for not making a bigger deal out of this. My son WON'T be getting this for "CHRISTMAS"! People lose sight of the fact that CHRIST is the reason for the season...it's what CHRISTmas is all about.. or suppose to be!

I really have to wonder just how many toys such as that do have subliminal messages. It's a good thing you got the email before returning to buy the doll. Did you happen to contact Fisher Price? Do you remember, back when Lion King came out in 1994? We bought it and my niece watched it no less than 20 times A DAY! It came to be one of my favorites! Then one day someone brought it our knowledge that there was a really offensive subliminal message in it. The part were Simba collapses on the cliff after seeing what he invisioned to be his father in the stars, once he collapsed it spelled the word "sex" plain as day. And like you said, if you aren't looking for it, you probably won't notice it. I watched it time and time again and never noticed it, until that person brought it to my attention. I couldn't believe that was allowed for children's cartoons back then. There were several other cartoons that had messages of that nature at that time. I can only imagine what they're allowed to use today.

I'm with you, I understand the whole freedom of religion thing but I can't fathum putting a message like that in a toy knowing people of Islam won't be the only ones buying it. And people want to say us Christians push our religion too much??? Furthermore, if it is your hearts desire to say Merry CHRISTmas, then by all means, say it! I do! Our rights shouldn't be terminated so someone else can have theirs and vise versa. Don't let anyone of any other religion intimidate you, unless it threatens your job, ofcourse, in which case I say pick your battles. Anyway.........